paste wrote:Also, if this doesn't overlap that, are there electronic dictionaries that have words organized by subject?

Not that I know of; but please don't get the idea that you can use a dictionary or a large list of words to cram vocabulary effectively -- down that path lies madness.

Yeah, I don't plan on just reading the dictionary

Right now, we're working on colors, among other adjectives, in my class (yes, I'm a total noob). So we practice using colors. I thought that once we're done with this book and I'm not in a class, I might need other subjects to practice with, and in that capacity an subject-organized dictionary might be useful, but it can wait.

But is there an electronic dictionary anyone can recommend? Keep in mind I own a Nintendo DS; I heard there might be some decent ones available for it(?)

Harisenbon wrote:My writing is unfortunately much MUCH worse than my reading.

This has been a key sticking point for me. My current job has me writing a lot of memos, letters, evaluation forms, daily work reports and the like - quite often on the spot. Like you, I had never used Heisig or any other component analysis method, I just studied whatever kanji I stumbled across in study or reading. My reading ability is quite high, but I found when I started this current job that my reproduction ability was pathetically low. Since starting the job, there are a lot of high-frequency kanji that I have since become much better at writing from memory (because I write them with high frequency! ), but there are still some kanji that always escape my memory.

One problem is that they are not common characters, so I simply forget them because I don't use them. Another problem is with kanji that resemble each other but for a radical here or there (damn, did that have the 'person,' 'tree,' 'thread,' 'word,' or 'movement' radical on the left? ).

I've found that applying component analysis to these problem characters has made it much easier for me to reproduce them from memory. And that leaves me wondering - if I had started using component analysis right from the get-go, would I be better off now?

And keep in mind - for all the Heisig-haters out there (I'm not a big fan, myself, mind you) - he isn't the only component analysis source out there. Think Henshall's Guide to Remembering Japanese Characters or Foerster and Tamura's Kanji ABC.

Anyway, I would suggest to the OP that although I wouldn't personally recommend studying every single kanji using the component analysis system, being aware of the components that go into the construction of the different characters is knowledge that could very well come in handy in the future.